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LTTIR^RY 






OF THE 






U. S. Department of Agricu ture. 






Class 


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Simple Household Tests 



FOR THE DETECTION OF 



Adulterations in Foods^ 



COMPILED BY THE 

Utah Dairy and Food Commission. 

'/ - 

JOHN PETERSON, Commissioner: 
HERMAN HARMS, Pfa. G., STATE Chemist. 

COPYRI GHTED MA R. 190e. 

Salt Lake City, Utah, 
March, 1906. 



PREFACE. 

In presenting this little booklet, it is the aim of the 
Utah Dairy and Food Department to give in brief 
form, a number of simple tests by which the housewife, 
with the conveniences at hand in the kitchen, can read- 
ily and quickly determine the character of a number of 
the foods that are daily used on our tables. The tests 
are so simple that any person of aA^erage intelligence 
can carry them out, and the results are absolutely re- 
liable. The Department well recognizes the fact that 
the housewife can be of the greatest help in preventing 
the sale of adulterated foods. Nearly all of the follow- 
ing tests have been mentioned in the last biennial re- 
port of the Department. This report, however, has only 
reached a limited number of individuals. The Depart- 
ment hopes that this little booklet will find a place in 
every home, and respectfully asks the co-operation of 
every housewife for the mutual benefit of the com- 
munity. 

This booklet will be sent free of charge upon ap- 
plying to Utah Dairy and Food Commission, 

JOHN PETERSON, 

Commissioner. 
Salt Lake Citv, Utah. ^ 

.5^fP 8 1^'- 



Simple Household Tests for the 

Detection of Adulterations 

in Foods^ 



MILK AND CREAM, 

When milk is skimmed or watered, the fluid is of 
a thin bluish color. To cover this defect, which would 
at once reveal its inferior quality, coloring is resorted 
to. This may ht known by letting the milk or cream 
stand in a clear glass, say twelve hours, and then notic- 
ing the watery and creamy layers. If the lower layer 
is of a yellow color, of the same shade as the cream, 
artificial coloring is indicated. Cream low or deficient 
in butter fat, may be detected in a similar way. A little 
vinegar added to the heated cream or milk, produces 
in the curd a distinct orange color if an Aniline dye has 
been employed to give the milk or cream an apparent 
richness. If Caramel or Annatto have been used, the 
curd will have a brownish color. The curd of pure 
cream or milk should be nearly white. 

Formaldehyde and Other Preservatives. 

Keep the milk or cream in a warm place for forty- 
eight hours. If the sample is still sweet at the expira- 
tion of this time, a preservative is strongly indicated. 



ICE CREAM. 

Ice cream should contain a reasonable amount of 
cream, which gives the proper richness. Instead of 
cream, milk thickened by gelatin or corn starch is often 
employed. To detect the presence of starch, add to a 
httle of the ice cream, a few drops of Tincture of 
Iodine. A deep blue color is instantly developed, if 
corn starch or flour is present. This test is equally 
applicable for the detection of corn starch in cream or 
milk. 

BUTTER. 

The adulterations consist of the substitution of 
Renovated or Process Butter, and Oleomargarine or 
Butterine for the genuine article. 

To distinguish the three the following simple tests 
are readily carried out : 

A small portion of the FUitter (size of a hazelnut^ 
is placed in an ordinary table spoon and heated over a 
low flame (alcohol lamp, etc.) to the boiling point, stir- 
ring constantly with a tootlipick or some similar article. 
Genuine butter boils quietly and produces an abundance 
of foam; renovated butter sl>uftcrs like grease and 
water when boiled, and produces but little foam ; oleo • 
margarine acts very much like renovated butter, boil- 
ing with considerable noise and producing practically 
no foam. The characteristic odor of tallow also be- 



conies evident when the sample in (jnestion is oleomar- 
garine. Butter shonld not contain an excess of water, 
which is sometimes purposely incorporated. This mav 
])e known by the water oozing- out abundantly upon the 
surf:ice of the butter when cut. 

CREAM OF TARTAR. 

.Cream of Tartar is a purified product separated dur- 
ing the fermentation of grape wine and is usually sold 
in the form of a snowy-white, inodorous powder, pos- 
sessing a slight acidulous taste. The average retail 
])rice is fifty to sixty cents per pound. The adultera- 
tion of this article consists of : Gypsum, acid phos- 
phate of lime, chalk, etc., flour being usually present 
also ; this mixture often replaces entirely the genuine 
article. 

A very simple test to determine the purity of 
Cream of Tartar is as follows : Pour boiling water 
over a little of the sample and stir. Pure Cream of 
Tartar dissolves completely, while lime, chalk and flour 
remain in suspension. When cold, the Cream of Tartar 
precipitates again as a beautiful crystalline mass. A 
drop of Tincture of Iodine added to the cooled solu- 
tion, shows instantl}- l)y the blue color ])roduced, the 
presence of flour or starchy material. 



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SUGAR, SALT, BAKING SODA, TARTARIC ACID, ETC. 

These should dissolve completely in cold water. 
Sediment and other insoluble materials denote impuri- 
ties or adulteration, as for example, a cheap grade of 
salt mixed with starch ; an inferior sugar mixed with 
blueing, etc. 

EXTRACT OF LEMON. 

Essence or Extract of Lemon is a solution of (five 
per cent.) Oil of Lemon in Alcohol. To dissolve the 
above amount of oil, requires practically a pure alco- 
hol, which really is the costly ingredient in an Extract 
of Lemon. The cheaper extracts contain only a small 
percentage of alcohol, but a large amount of water. 
In this mixture the oil will not dissolve, consequently 
these cheap extracts contain but little or no oil, but 
merely a flavor of lemon. 

To determine the character of the extract : 
To a wine glassful of water, add a teaspoonful of 
the extract in question and stir. Milkincss immediately 
results if the extract contains the proper proportion of 
oil (for oil and w^ater will not mix) ; if a perfectly clear 
solution results no oil or only traces are present, thus 
readily identifying an inferior and cheap extract. 

EXTRACT OF VANILLA. 

Extract of Vanilla should be an Extract of Vanilla 
Bean and contain the characteristic constituents of the 



7 

bean, such as vanillin, resinous matter, oil, gum, col- 
oring matter, etc. It is to all of these principles com- 
bined that a true V^anilla owes its characteristic sweet, 
delicate, fragrant odor and taste. The majority of 
extracts on the market are artificial preparations of 
artificially prepared Vanillin and Cumarin dissolved 
in a weak alcohol and properly colored with Caramel 
or Dyes, and do not cost one-tenth the price of the 
genuine extract. 

To determine the character of the extract : 

In a saucer place about one or two tablespoonfuls 
of the extract and set the dish over boiling water in a 
tea kettle. Allow the extract to evaporate one-half, 
then add cold water to make up to the original volume. 
By this treatment the alcohol has been driven off and 
we have nothing but a watery solution. In this watery 
solution, the principles of a true Vanilla are insoluble, 
rendering the residual liquid densely cloudy and a 
dirty brownish color. 

The artificial extract containing none of the bean 
constituents will be perfectly bright and clear. 

Another simple distinction is the addition of a little 
Sugar of Lead solution (note that this is poison) to the 
extract in question. The true Vanilla Extract immedi- 
ately gives an abundant yellowish-brown precipitation 
and a pale yellowish-straw colored liquid. Upon an 
artificial extract the lead solution has little or no effect. 



8 



Only a slight precipitation results and no, or but litfir, 
discoloration takes place. 

VINEGAR. 

Vinegar is derived from cider, wine and malt and 
according to its source, contains more or less of the 
suhstances present in the original material. For ex- 
ample, cider vinegar contains certain apple constitu- 
ents ; the malt, constituents of the grain. By evaporat- 
ing a vinegar over boiling water, a residue is obtained, 
w^iich readily imparts to the senses of smell and taste 
the characteristics of true cider or malt. The ordinary 
vinegar, as found on <:)ur market, commanding only 
one-quarter or one-sixth the price of the former article, 
is a distilled product, artificially colored and contains 
generally, artificial flavoring. When this kind of vin- 
egar is evaporated over boiling water the residue is 
very small, hard and brownish and j^ractically inodor- 
ous. The residue from the cider or malt vinegar usu- 
ally contains numerous air bubbles and is soft or semi- 
solid in consistency. 

COFFEE. 

Coftee was formerly adulterated extensively with 
Chickory, but very much less so at present date. Take 
a tumblerful of cold water and add the cofifee grains or 
the ground cofifee. Genuine cofTee will float and ?iof 
impart a distinct color to the water for several tniniites. 



Chickorv, cereals, and other adulterants will sink and 
settle to the bottom, leaving brown trails of color as 
the^' sink. 

SPICES. 

Spices owe their value to constituents, which, as a 
rule, are characteristically prominent to the odor arid 
taste ; hence, these two physical tests are valuable indi- 
cators of the quality of a particular spice. For ex- 
ample : If your cloves do not possess a stronj;- clover 
odor and taste, the sample has been exhausted and de- 
prived of its valuable constituent, the clove oil. If 
your pepper does not possess the prominent pepper 
odor and taste, the sample is an inferior article and 
probablv mixed with some w^orthless adulteration. 

BORAX. 

Borax, w^hile not a food, is now used extensively as 
a household article and costs about fifteen to twenty 
cents per pound. The cheap Sal Soda and Bicarbon- 
ate of Soda are sometimes mixed with the borax or cn- 
tirelv substituted for it. To detect adulteration add to 
the suspected sample, in a saucer, one or two table- 
spoonfuls of vinegar. Pure borax gives no change ; if 
Sal or Bicarbonate of Soda is present, abundant ef- 
fervescence or fizzing immediately takes place. 



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lO 
ANILINE DYES. 

These are extensively used to impart a brilliant 
color to various articles of food. The detection is com- 
paratively simple and requires a little wool, vinegar 
and ammonia. Mix a portion of the sample to be 
tested with enough water to make a thin paste, in an 
agate pan, and put in a piece of woolen cloth a few in- 
ches square, or a little Nuns Veiling, or some white 
wool. Whatever wool is used, same should have been 
wet thoroughly with Loilirg water. Boil the paste con- 
taining the wool for about ten minutes, stirring the 
mixture frequently with a small wooden stick. Re- 
move the wool and wash it with hot or cold water. The 
wool will be brightly colored if a dye has been used ; a 
dull brownish or pinkish color is imparted by the nat- 
ural color of the fruit. 

This color may be further tested by boiling the wool 
in water, to which a little household ammonia has been 
added. After boiling five minutes or more, remove the 
wool and if Aniline dye was present, it is now held in 
solution in the water by the ammonia. The vegetable 
color is practically destroyed. To the ammonia solu- 
tion now add enough vinegar (about a cupful) to give 
distinct vinegar odor and now add a new portion of 
wool. Boil again and the second piece of wool will be 
dyed a brilliant color if an aniline dye was present. The 
above test would apply to all food products artificially 



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colored, such as ketchups, jams, jelHes, preserves, sau- 
sage, soda, syrups, lemonade, extracts, etc. 

PRESERVATIVES. 

Preservatives are used in various articles of food, 
especially those which ''spoil" or ferment readily ; such 
as milk, cream, cider, grape juice, ketchups, sausage, 
etc. 

Suspicion of a preservative may be inferred if the 
article of food is kept in a warm place for forty-eight 
to seventy-two hours zvithoiif souring, fermenting or 
spoiling. 

Appearance, Odor, Taste. 

These often afford a valuable clue to the charac- 
ter of foods : 

A bright green color in canned peas, beans, etc., in- 
dicates strongly the presence of copper or iron. 

A brilliant red color in catsups, sauces, jams, jellies, 
fruit, canned tomatoes, etc., indicates the presence of 
(usually) an Aniline dye. 

A bright yellow color in powdered and prepared 
mustard, extract of lemon, noodles, etc., shows artifi- 
cial coloring which generally proves to be an Aniline 
color. 

Abnormally zvhitc color in canned corn and other 
foods indicate that bleaching agents have been used. 



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Odor and Taste. 

A peculiar sweetish taste in canned corn, peas, cat- 
sups, grape juice, cider, jams, jellies, fruits is an indi- 
cation of Saccharine or Coal Tar Sugar. 

A I'cry proiuinoit odor, readily distinguished hy a 
little experience from the genuine, enables one to de- 
tect an artificial extract, especially strawberry, rasp- 
berry and pineapple. 

Absence or zveakuess of the characteristic aromatic 
odor and taste in all spices denotes an inferior, ex- 
hausted or adulterated article. 

THE LABELING OF FOODS. 

The labeling of foods often gives an indication of 
its character. A pure food worthy of the name, always 
bears the name of the manufacturer and place of busi- 
ness. An imitation or adulterated article often bears no 
label or manufacturer or locality, or else some fictitious 
firm. T'or example : Loubon ( )live Oil, Durand ( )live 
Oil — no company or country stated. 

An Alum Baking Powder, unless compelled b}' law, 
does not state its ingredients upon the label, while in- 
variably a Cream of Tartar Powder informs the con- 
sumer of its character. Salad Oil is usually nothing 
but the cheap Cottonseed Oil. A butter, labeled 
"Choice Sunbeam Creamery P)Utter" or other fanciful 
name, without the manufacturers' name, will prove in 



13 

nearly every jnstance to be the Renovated Article or 
more likely Oleomargarine. 

PRICE OF FOODS. 

The price of an article is often an indication of its 
character, because nearly all foods have specific values. 
For example : Baking Powder retailing for twenty-five 
cents for a pound can, cannot be a Cream of Tartar 
Powder, nor can a pint of Olive Oil retailing for a quar- 
ter, be the genuine article. Only inferior, damaged or 
adulterated goods are, as a rule, sold below the mar- 
ket price. 



ADULTERATING FOOD. 

Section 27. Every person who adulterates or di- 
lutes any article of food, or any article used in com- 
pounding them, with a fraudulent intent to offer same, 
or cause or permit it to be offered, for sale as unadul- 
terated or undiluted, and every person who sells, or 
keeps, or oft'ers for sale, the same, as unadulterated 
or undiluted, is guilty of a misdemeanor. 

''ADULTERATED" DEFINED. 

Sec. 29. That for the purpose of this act, an article 
shall be deemed adulterated, in the case of food or 
drink : 

First — If any substance or substances has or have 



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been mixed and packed with it, so as to reduce or lower 
or injuriously affect its quality or strength, so that such 
product, when offered for sale, shall deceive or tend to 
deceive the purchaser. 

Second — If any 'substance or substances has or 
have been substituted wholly or in part for the article, 
so that the product when sold, shall deceive or tend to 
deceive the purchaser. 

Third — If any valuable constituent of the article 
has been wholly or in part abstracted, so that the pro- 
duct when sold shall deceive or tend to deceive the pur- 
chaser. 

Fourth — If it be an imitation of, or sold under the 
specific name of any other article. 

Fifth — If it be mixed, colored, coated, powdered, 
polished, or stained in a manner whereby damaged or 
inferiority is concealed, so that such product when sold 
shall deceive or tend to deceive the purchaser. 

Sixth — If it contain any added poisonous ingredi- 
ent, or any ingredient which* may render such article 
injurious to the health of the person consuming it. 

Seventh — If it be labeled or branded so as to de- 
ceive or mislead the purchaser. 

Eighth — If it consists of the whole or part of a 
diseased, filthy, decomposed, or putrid animal or veg- 
etable substance, or any portion of an animal unfit for 
food, whether manufactured or not ; or if it is the pr«- 



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duct of a diseased animal, or of an animal that has died 
otherwise than by slaughter. 

UNWHOLESOME FOOD. 

Sec. 31. It shall be unlawful for any person to 
knowingly sell, or keep, or offer for sale, any article of 
food, knowing that the same has become tainted, de- 
cayed, spoiled, or otherwise unwholesome or unfit to 
be eaten or drunk. 

Penalty. 

Any person who shall violate any provision of this 
act, or who shall misbrand any package, containing 
any article of food, shall be deemed guilty of a misde- 
meanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be pun- 
ished by a fine of not less than ten, nor more than one 
hundred dollars, and any article of food found in his 
possession in violation of any provision of this act shall 
be subject to confiscation and spoliation. 

NOTE. — Under the statute a dealer is liable for 
selling an adulterated article, although he may have 
no knowledge that the same is adulterated. 

A guarantee of purity received from the manufac- 
turer or jobber does not relieve a person handling adul- 
terated goods from liability. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



SEP 6 1910 



014 338 353 2 «l 



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PHKSS f)F 

THE SKELTON PUB. CO., 

PROVO, UTAH. 



